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When you’re done with a mattress it’s tempting to try to find another use for it. Handing it down to your kids, putting it in your guest room, selling it on Donedeal, or donating it to a charity might seem like good options. But while this seems savvy, it’s actually a bad idea. If a mattress is no longer good enough for you to use, it’s not good enough for anyone else. In particular, old mattresses are harmful for children, whose active, developing bodies require the support of a good-quality mattress.

A Proper Send-Off

We’ve all seen mattresses that have been improperly disposed of. Mattresses don’t belong on the side of the road, in the bottom of a lake or in the middle of a field. Your mattress did a good job for you for many years and now it’s your turn to take care of it. Dispose of your mattress in a safe and responsible way:

Ask the store where you bought your new mattress to pick up your old set when they deliver the new one. Most retailers routinely offer mattress pick-up and disposal service as part of the purchase price or for a small fee.

Call your local garbage collector or Local Council . They usually have provisions for picking up larger items.

Two years after we last asked the question ‘Do you sleep in the same bed as your partner?’ as part of our monthly poll series, it was reassuring to see that the statistics had barely changed – and yes we do still enjoy sharing the bed with our partner!

Just over half (51%) still snuggle up to each other in bed (47% in Feb 2015). Good news as sleeping with your partner can actually benefit your health and increase the odds of your having a longer lifespan. This is because people tend to feel more secure and safe when in a relationship, decreasing the levels of stress hormones and increasing oxytocin, the love hormone – leading to less interrupted sleep.

However bear in mind that around 50% of sleep disturbance is caused by sharing a bed with your partner. If you find your sleep is disrupted on a regular basis by a snoring partner, a duvet hogger and a bed companion who frequently tosses and turns it may be worth considering a larger bed or even separate bedrooms.

Sleep is critical for a healthy and happy wellbeing of any and all individuals. Let it be an infant or a working adult or an elder, sleeping is a miraculous transformation from being conscious to sub-conscious state. After a good night’s sleep on memory foam mattress, you are all set to go for another day. But, unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to enjoy a good night’s sleep each night.

It should not ring any alarm if you skip quality sleep just for one night, but if it keeps happening over and over again, then you might be dealing with insomnia. This is the medical conditions, where an individual repeatedly fails to get adequate sleep needed for maintaining normal body function.

Here are 5 signs that you might be dealing with insomnia

Difficulty falling asleep

The encounter the first sign of insomnia is when you are unable to sleep in one go at night. Ideally you should be able to sleep after the entire day’s exertion, without any external help.

Difficulty waking up

Insomnia is often calibrated only in one aspect, but failing to get up in proper time is also an indication that your body is not getting adequate rest during night. Ideally you should wake up after having a sleep of 7 to 8 hours of undisturbed sleep.

Depending on other substance

If under any circumstances, you need sleeping pills to help you sleep, most probably you are dealing with insomnia.

Laziness during day

If you are feeling lethargic throughout the day, this might be another symptom of the same. People often describe it as feeling similar as malaise while falling sick. Prolong drowsiness throughout the day, often leads to poor performance in both work environment and social gathering.

Feeling irritated and mood swings

If you are missing out daily dosage of sleep for quite a long time, then you are more likely to be irritated throughout the day and encounter terrible mood swings. You become highly vulnerable to getting angry easily and falling into the trap of depression.

If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms, especially if are feeling tired noticeably night after night. Chances are high that either you are suffering from insomnia or you are sleeping on the wrong type of mattress. For better sleep, try a memory foam mattress, which provides adequate support to your spine and helps you to sleep better.

As rightly said by Dalai Lama, “Sleep is the best meditation”. How can anyone deny the pleasure a complete sleep provides us? A full night’s sleep is the key of doing everyday works and plays a crucial role in shaping our lives. But what is the ideal time for you to sleep each night to get a full night’s sleep? Well, everyone has a unique need for sleep, depending upon your work life and the mattress and beds you sleep upon.

Getting quality sleep is essential for a healthy body, sound mind and clearly, on our moods as well. On an average, each sleep cycle comprises of 90 minutes and you are likely to have five of these cycles in each night. Simple Mathematics will show a total of seven and a half to eight hours of sleep is ideal.

Coming back to the topic, regarding the best time to tuck in, how early or late should how get ready for bed? We recommend 10 p.m., but, no further than 11 p.m. The prime reason for the same is- one hour of sleep before the midnight almost accounts for two hours of sleep, which means you get more benefits by sleeping early. Similarly, the best time to get out of bed is between 5:30 to 6:30 a.m.

One simple way to find out the right time to tuck in bed is by back calculating from the time of waking up. For instance, if you get up at 6:30, count 7.5 hours back and sleep by 11 p.m. if you find it difficult to change your bedtime all of a sudden, we recommend you to follow this new bedtime for about 10 nights in a row and you will be surprised to find that your body will begin to adapt this new schedule automatically.

Many of you might find it difficult to resist the temptation to go back to sleep after waking up early. One small trick for it- go straight to the sunlight and be there for 10 -15 minutes. Do the first thing under sunlight. Let be reading newspaper or sipping hot coffee or simply soak in it. You will find that sunlight will help adjusting your circadian clock.

We, at Mattress Shop understands that, due to your work schedules and other engagements, often it becomes challenging to adhere to your sleep schedule. Thus, we offer quality mattress and beds for you to experience quality sleep throughout the time you sleep.

At Christmas it can be extremely hard trying to maintain a good sleep routine.

If we’re not socialising and going to parties, we’re over indulging on food and drink or worrying about presents and what time the turkey needs to go in the oven!

Here’s our top tips to stay on top of your sleep and make it through the festive season awake and alert.

1. Stick to RoutineTry as much as possible to keep regular sleeping hours – we know it can be hard when you’re staying up late for Santa, but going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time, all the time, will programme your body to sleep better. Also, regular, moderate exercise such as swimming or walking can help relieve the day’s stresses and strains. But not too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake. A good brisk walk is ideal to stop you feeling sluggish after a hefty Christmas dinner!

2. Create a Restful EnvironmentKeep the Christmas decorations to the other parts of your home – your bedroom should be kept for rest and sleep and it should be neither too hot, nor too cold; and as quiet and dark as possible.It might also be handy to keep some ear plugs handy to block out the sound of your partner’s alcohol or feast-induced snoring!

3. A Comfy BedMake sure your bed is comfortable. It’s difficult to get deep, restful sleep on one that’s too soft, too hard, too small or too old. It should be as big as possible so avoid partner disturbance. Perhaps a new bed should be on your Christmas present list!

4. Don’t Over-IndulgeToo much food or alcohol, especially late at night, can play havoc with sleep patterns. Alcohol may help you fall asleep initially, but will interrupt your sleep later on in the night. It is hard in the party period but try to swap to water a couple of hours before bedtime.

5. Make Time for ‘Me’ TimeTry to relax and insist on some ‘me time’ before going to bed. Have a warm bath, listen to some quiet music or do some yoga – these all help to relax both the mind and body.It’s also important to resolve arguments before bed. Ongoing conflicts are not conducive to putting you in the right frame of mind for sleep!

Having a baby is one of the wonders in the world. One day, you find out that you are expecting another littlest one in your family. One day, they grow up and move out to stay on their own. Somewhere between these, you come across a time when, you get confused whether to let your baby sleep along with you or get them in a separate crib.

Now, sleep is essential for baby as it helps to grow them. But, often newly parents ignore, their own sleep in the process. If you had a baby, we recommend you to sleep adequately on the right mattress in Ireland. So, before you decide to cuddle with your baby, keep few things in mind.

But first, what is co-sleeping? Whether you call it, sleep sharing or co-sleeping, it refers to practice, when your child sleeps with you on your bed instead of sleeping separately. Several couples around Ireland (and in fact, the world) practice this in order to ensure that your baby faces no problem, and it saves you from panicking regarding the wellbeing your child every night.

It does have a few advantages, such as:

A Time for bonding– it is particularly helpful for the busy families. After spending the whole day away from the baby, you will find this as an amazing way to connect with the child.

Deals with SIDS– it stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and mostly occurs if the baby stops breathing during the night. Sleeping together makes the breathing pattern of the baby synchronized with that of the mother and reduces the risk of SIDS by 50 percent.

Helps at night feeding– the baby craves for milk multiple times a day and night is not an exception for them. If the baby wakes up crying during the night, it becomes easier for you to feed and tuck him back to sleep, if he sleeps along with you.

Sleeping in a separate crib/cot

According to some pediatricians, it is best to keep your baby in his cot, until he reaches the age of six months old. This holds for naps both in daytime and during nights. It is considered as safe, especially for the baby. Co-sleeping is never recommended in the following conditions-

If you or your partner is overweight

If your baby is born with low birth weight or has been released from the NICU

If you or your partner is under alcohol, smoking or have taken any medication that makes you drowsy

Also, don’t allow any elder child of yours to sleep with the newborn.

Well, any of these will work, unless you and your partner agree on it and it works for the baby. Keep in mind the importance of your sleep along with that of your child. Also, don’t forget to sleep on the proper mattress in Ireland for a good night’s sleep.

Most of the thing around us does not happen just randomly, instead follows a pattern, including sleep. Yes, you may or may not be aware of it, since you remains so indulge in sleep, while sleeping on orthopedic mattress. So, now that we have your attention, let’s discuss the different stages of sleep.

Even though you remains in a trans-state during your ZZZs state, a lot happens in your body. It switches between sleep cycles namely, REM and non-REM. So, what is this REM, Rapid Eye Movement for sure, but what does it mean? You are about to find it out. But let’s discuss the non-REM first.

The sleep cycle

The sleep is first initiated with Non-REM and then followed by a shorter period of REM, when one cycle, the cycle starts over again.

Non-REM sleep

It comprises of three stages, where each of them usually lasts for about 5 to 15 minutes. You go through every stage before you finally reach to REM sleep. While you are in NREM cycle, your body repairs and heals, along with building muscle and bones and strengthening the immune system. Sleeping on a right orthopedic mattress, helps you even more to repair your back aches.

Stage 1– After you lay down and close your eyes, this stage initiates and can last between 5 to 10 minutes. Even though, you have started sleeping, you can get back to being fully awake in a matter of seconds. It can be distinguished by experiencing ‘hypnic jerk’, a feeling of falling from a height and suddenly jerking awake in bed. The blood pressure decreases along with slowing the breathing in this stage.

Stage 2– It usually last for about 20 minutes, and can be distinguished by slower heartbeat and lower body temperature. Your body is experiencing a light sleep and limits its activities, getting ready for a heavy sleep. As your brain begins to emit waves with larger wavelength, it becomes more difficult to wake you up. We spend almost 45 percent of the entire sleep duration in stage 2.

Stage 3– It is the deep sleep stage and initiates after 35 to 40 minutes of sleep. Your body stops responding to external disturbance and it becomes even more difficult to wake you up. Even if someone does, you are likely to feel disoriented for a few moments. At this stage the REM takes over gradually.

REM sleep

REM is characterized by your eyes move rapidly in various directions, which does not happen in the previous cycle. This is the stage, when you dream. The first episode of REM last mere for 10 minutes, but as you keep sleeping, eventually, the REM span gets longer up to an hour. It lasts only about 20 percent of the entire sleep duration.

Just because you do something frequently does not ensure that you are master of it. And the classic example for the same is sleep. Even though you sleep pretty much every night, there is so much that we do not know about it. Surely you sleep every night(and sometimes during day as well) but can you say that every night you get quality sleep? Probably not! The adequate quantity and quality of sleep plays an important role in shaping your mind and body.

Your everyday life, especially working environment and working schedules determine how much rest you require. Sadly you can do so little in this regard, but you can definitely do few things to ensure and boost a good night sleep. So here are some tips for you so that you can say goodbye to fatigue during day and say hello to dear sleep while tucking in your mattress in Ireland.

1. Make a sleeping schedule and adhere to it everyday

Scheduling is a good thing especially when it comes to sleep. Lying down in your bed at same time each day is the first step towards a healthy sleeping. Sticking to your usual sleeping time is most important even on weekends. Usually you tend to sleep early on weekdays in order to get up early for office and stay until late night on weekends and then sleep till noon. This practice should be reformed and try to go to bed each night at same time.

2. Ensure that your bedroom has ideal temperature, light and sound

The amount of light, sound and temperature can affect our quality of sleep. Thus, you should ensure that the room in which you sleep on should have ideal amount of temperature as its fluctuation may wake you up between sleep. Similarly use curtains to block excessive light entering through windows.

3. Buy and sleep on the right mattresses

Sleeping on the right kind of mattress in Ireland makes a your sleeping experience much better but sadly, most of us pay very little attention to what kind of mattress we are sleeping on. You should always buy the one according to your specific need.

4. Switch off electronic appliances before going to bed

The artificial blue light produced by the gadgets take away our sleepiness and makes sleeping more difficult. Thus switch off these electronics 1 to 2 hour prior to bedtime.

The three basic needs without which we cannot survive is food, clothes and shelter. The fourth element would be ‘sleep’. No matter how happy and cheerful we may be throughout the day, we need sleep to complete the night. Similarly no matter how busy or tiring we be each day, the sleep we get each night on mattress in Ireland is what let us carry on. There are several aspects correlated with sleep, and one of the most important aspect is the amount of sleep required.

As already mentioned, the role of sleep is irreplaceable and in a vital parameter of our health and overall wellbeing, so much that we almost spend one third of our life on sleeping. But how much sleep is required by our body to re energize? Ideally our cardinal clock tells us when to sleep and when to wake up being respective of sunset and sunrise. Some people say that we need eight hours of sleep daily to meet our bodily requirements. But in reality this does not hold true and is subjected to change from person to person. The quality of sleep, the lifestyle, the stress in workplace, the sleeping posture and the type of mattress in Ireland all plays crucial role to determine the ideal amount of sleep one need each night.

In today’s world we are surrounded with several electronic gadgets such as mobile phone, video games, addiction to social networking etc lead us to a huge exposure to artificial light which disrupt our sleep cycle. Some energy drinks and caffeine products also mess with our sleeping pattern and these may come handy when you are occasionally trying to stay awake such as while driving at night or preparing for examination. However a regular use of such products can cause serious trouble while sleeping.

The ideal sleep ranges for a person based on their age is as follows-

Newborn (less than 3 months)- between 14 to 17 hours.

Infants (between 4 to less than a year)- narrows down to 12 to 15 hours

Toddlers (aged 1 to 2 years)- between 11 to 14 hours

Preschoolers (aged 3 to 5 years)- narrows down to 10 to 13 hours

School children (aged 6 to 13)- to accommodate school hours, sleeping reduces to 9 to 11 hours.

In his groundbreaking book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman wrote, “Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.”

He’s referring to two famous dystopian novels here: George Orwell’s 1984, in which a totalitarian figurehead called Big Brother, monitors people’s lives, and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, which describes a less sinister future in which there is no need for tyranny because all forms of entertainment pacify and ruin humanity.

In modern society we never have a reason to be bored. Fueled by BuzzFeed headlines and 24-hour news channels, it appears Huxley’s version of the future is here. And while society inhales the nugatory and negligible, the importance of sleep drowns in this sea of irrelevance.

How often do you scan Facebook or Twitter within one hour of bedtime? People have, as Postman pointed out, an infinite appetite for distraction. That hunger for diversion can negatively impact our lives if we let it get out of hand. In my opinion, it’s not just our sleep that is suffering – our lives are suffering. When we’re not fully rested, we are mediocre versions of our best selves.

For those who wish to discover their highest potential with one change, I recommend the following course of action: stopamusing your sleep to death. If you want to know how to sleep better, give this healthy sleep habit a try: avoid any and all screens within one hour of bedtime. That means no smartphone, tablet or TV. You shouldn’t even have a TV in your bedroom because, like all the devices mentioned, it emits daytime spectrum blue light. This type of light mimics sunlight and tells your body it’s daytime so the brain should stop producing melatonin, a hormone that is essential for sleep. Although Huxley’s version of the future might be coming true, I am reminded of how Big Brother watched people in their homes – through telescreens.

What should you do instead of screen time? Read stories from real books (not kindles, etc.). You might start with 1984 or Brave New World. Most experts don’t recommend reading self-help, business books or any non-fiction right before bed because that type of literature often makes you think of how to apply the leanings to your own life – a distraction that can keep you awake. Instead, grab a work of fiction. Fiction novels often quiet the part of your brain that criticizes.

Are you amusing your sleep to death by gobbling up blue light from your smartphone or TV before bedtime? Eliminating screen time within one hour of bed can put you on the path to healthier sleep and a future in which you feel fully rested – and that sounds like a happy ending to me.